The district administration of Nankana Sahib has announced five days of school holidays from April 12 to April 16 because of the Baisakhi Festival, as reported by ARY News.
This decision was made because thousands of Sikh pilgrims from India are visiting Pakistan to take part in the religious celebrations. The main event will be held on April 14, but many pilgrims have already started arriving since April 10. The celebrations will continue until April 19.
To make sure everything runs smoothly and safely, the government has decided to close all schools in the district. This will help reduce traffic and make it easier to manage the large crowd of visitors. A total of over 2,000 police officers will be on duty to keep everyone safe. The District Police Officer (DPO) has also prepared a complete security plan.
As part of the Pakistan-India religious tourism agreement, 3,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims are usually allowed to visit. But this year, more than 7,000 people have shown interest in coming. Because of this, Pakistan has asked its High Commission in New Delhi to issue extra visas.
So far, 6,629 visas have been given to Indian pilgrims—more than double the usual number! This shows Pakistan’s strong support for religious freedom and peaceful relations with India.
During the event, about 20,000 local pilgrims, 3,000 overseas Sikhs, and 7,000 visitors from India and other countries will join the celebrations. The Punjab Home Department has made special plans to make sure all the visitors stay safe during the event.
On arrival, Sikh pilgrims were welcomed warmly at the Wagah Border by Secretary of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, Farid Iqbal.
The Baisakhi Festival is an important religious and cultural event for Sikhs, and Pakistan is doing its best to host it with full respect, security, and care.
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